Top 100 Best Universities In The United States

MIT is one of the leading universities in the world in research and education. It is a privately owned land-grant university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, the university has evolved in numerous modern science and technology fields. It focuses on five schools: Architecture and Planning; Engineering; Humanities, Arts, and Social Science; Management; and Science.

It is regarded as one of the oldest universities standing for 162 years. MIT researchers are leading progress in AI, climate adaptation, cancer, poverty alleviation, and HIV. MIT admission is most particular with acceptance rate of 4%.

Recognized as one of the most prestigious and top universities, it was established in 1636 in Cambridge. It is the oldest University in the US recognized all over the world in terms of influence, academic lineage, and reputation.

It is known to include only the academic geniuses and has nearly 21,000 students currently studying. The acceptance rate of this university is 3.4%.

Quicks facts:

• Once upon a time, Harvard University was known as “The College at New Towne” or “New College”
• 150 Nobel Prize winners have graduated from this university.
• Barack Obama, Theodore Roosevelt, and many other leaders passed out from here.

Stanford University is another well-known and top university in the US. The place is famous for creativity, innovation, discovery, and exceptional medical care. Founded in 1885, there are 18 interdisciplinary research institutes and 7 schools.

Apart from education sports and recreational activities are other things prioritized here. The university's main motive is to create a sustainable future by educating students accordingly. The overall admission acceptance rate of Standford in 2023 is 4.34%.

Quick Facts

• The full name of the university Leland Stanford Junior University, is based on the late son of the founder.
• Stanford is also called ‘The Farm’.

UCB is another top university in the US. It is a public research university founded in 1868. The university is separated into 14 colleges and schools, including some of the top-ranked colleges of Engineering, the School of Public Health, the School of Law, and the College of Chemistry.

UCB is popular for majors including Economics, Law, physics, sociology, electrical engineering, and many others. Admissions are provided in terms of fall, spring, and winter with an acceptance rate of 11-14%. Some notable alumni are Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple; Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay; and Robert Gaskins, creator of PowerPoint.

The University of Chicago was established in 1856 and is a private research university. It is located in the urban area of Chicago. It is considered one of the top ten universities in the world. With 36 undergraduate and 27 postgraduate programs, the university is developing many professional courses apart from arts and science.

With more than 16,000 students, more than 400 clubs and societies are run by the students including, a combination of sports, arts, cultural groups, political groups, and societies. It is famous for media and film and the longest-running student film society DocFilms. Here the acceptance rate for admission is 5.92%.

Pennsylvania University is a private research-oriented university situated in the city of Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1740. The university is historic and it is best known for business, law, dental, and design schools.

The university strongly advocates interdisciplinary learning and research, multiple degree programs, exclusive majors, and academic elasticity. With 52 undergraduate programs and 15 postgraduate programs, getting admission here is not easy. The acceptance rate of this university is 7.44%.

Quick Facts:

• One of the founding fathers of the US, Benjamin Franklin, founded this University.
• Some notable alumni are Elon Musk, Shakira, Warren Buffett, and Sundar Pichai.

Ranked among the top 20 universities in the whole world, Cornell University was founded in 1865 with the motive of teaching and improving all areas of knowledge. It was the first university to provide a degree in journalism and also the first to teach modern far Eastern language. The principal campus is located in East Hill in Ithaca, New York.

They offer a wide range of 129 postgraduate programs and 77 undergraduate programs. The university features over 1,000 organizations including sports games to volunteering programs. Best known for its advanced research and respected faculty, the campus offers acceptance rate of 7%.

Caltech University is known far and wide for its science and engineering research and education institute, situated in Pasadena, California. It is also known for its top research outputs and numerous top-quality facilities including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, owned by NASA, the Caltech Seismological Laboratory, and others.

Founded in 1891, it has become a massive center for US scientific research. Apart from that, Caltech offers great opportunities for music, theater, and visual arts. Some popular choices for majors here are Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and many others. The process of admission is competitive with a 6.7% acceptance rate.

Yale University is a privately owned research university situated in New Haven Connecticut. It was founded in 1701. Yale is another prestigious and top-ranked university in the US that offers 80 undergraduate and 131 postgraduate programs.

Apart from education, it reflects diversity of culture and nationalities. The university is widely known for its amazing drama and music programs. Yale accepts 4.46% of applicants, making it one of the selective universities.

Quick Fact:

• With 19 library buildings and over 15 million books, the university has one of the largest libraries in the US.

Princeton is an exceptional university focused on teaching and research with a sincere and exclusive dedication to undergraduate learning and service. This private university was founded in 1746 and is one of the top universities in Princeton. It is situated in the isolated town of Princeton, New Jersey.

Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and School of Engineering and Applied Science offer high-ranked graduate programs. One of the distinctive features of this university is that it requires undergraduates to write a senior thesis on an autonomous project. The admission process is most selective with a 5.8% acceptance rate.

Columbia University was established in 1754, by the royal charter of George II of Great Britain. It is also one of the oldest universities in the US organized into 20 schools. Some of the most remarkable and famous personalities were students of this university including some Oscar Winners, Nobel laureates, Supreme Court judges, and presidents.

It was the first university to grant the MD degree in the US. It is known for organizing the Pulitzer Prize every year. Schools of economics and journalism are famous among others. The overall admission acceptane rate in 2023 is 5.1%.

It is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, the university takes its name from the American philanthropist and entrepreneur Johns Hopkins. It is one of the most prestigious universities placed in 10 divisions on different campuses in Maryland and Washington.

Its international centers are based in China, Italy, and Singapore. With 60+ undergraduate and 31+ postgraduate programs, Biomedical engineering is one of the most notable programs of this university. The university is most selective in admisssion with acceptance rate of 8%.

Quick fact:

• John Hopkins is the very first research university in the United States.

UCLA is a public research university in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1919, UCLA is widely appraised for its School of Theater, Film, and, Television and School of Dentistry. Through its 7 academic divisions, the university offers 130 exceptional undergraduate majors with the most popular being biology, business economics, psychology, and political science.

UCLA has excelled in academic as well as athletic fields as evident from 16 Nobel Laureates, 15 MacArthur Fellows, many Olympic medals, and 120 NCAA championships. With 145,904 applicants, only 12,779 were admitted during the Fall admission, making the acceptance rate of 8.8%.

It is one of the earliest public research universities founded in 1817, even before Michigan was a state. It is one of the oldest and largest universities in the US. The university is known for providing top-quality research. The university stands superior in biomedical science, law, business, economics, political science, and many other courses.

There are 1,600 clubs and societies and a 100-year-old band, The Michigan Marching Band that has over 350 student members. Famous alumni include computer scientist Larry Page, Gerald Ford, President of the US, and many others. The acceptance rate here is 17.7%.

New York University is another top university in the US that makes it to this list. The university was chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature. The principal campus is located in Manhattan. Centered in an urban area, the students may have great experience, since the campus is not limited around a quad and is circulated around the city.

Some of the top subjects of this university are accounting and finance, mathematics, philosophy, psychology, and law and legal studies. Famous alumni include actor Alec Baldwin, musician artist Lady Gaga, and others. On average, the acceptance rate of NYU is 11-12%.

It is another top private research university in the country. Established in 1851, it is situated in Evanston, Illinois, and serves as the oldest chartered university in Illinois. Its two campus located in Lake Michigan and the third one in Doha, Qatar makes it a globally recognized university.

Other than that, the university is famous for notable academic contributions, meticulous research opportunities, and the diverse backgrounds of scholars. Admission here is most selective with an acceptance rate of 7%.

Quick fact:

• David Schwimmer from 'Friends' graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in theater and speech from this university.

Carnegie Mellon University motivates its students to excel in its top programs including computer science, engineering, robotics, business, fine arts, science, and humanities. The faculty works in close connection with the students to generate results for real-life problems. Since its foundation in 1900, the university has been a place for great innovations.

Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the university stands out from others in terms of science and technology. Some famous alumni include actor Ethan Hawke, Ted Danson, Leslie Odom Jr., and others. The acceptance rate for admission in 2023 is 11%.

With 127+ undergraduate and 189+ postgraduate programs, this university makes it to the list of top 20 universities in the US. It is a private research university founded in 1838 and located in Durham, North Carolina. It is also considered one of the youngest renowned universities in the country.

Their academic ideology motivates scholars to practice interdisciplinary scholarship beyond the classroom. The university is famous for its diverse academic programs including business, law, medicine, engineering, humanities and social sciences, and many others. Admissions are very selective with an acceptance rate of 5.8%.

It is one of the top public research universities in Texas, Austin founded in 1883. The university houses more than 51,000 students and 3,000+ teaching faculty. It is best in engineering, social science, and business. Apart from education, the university is well known for recreational activities.

Popular majors of this university are biological science, political science, and government and psychology. There are many groups and sororities run by students who are involved in many projects including newspapers, sports, outdoor adventure, and many others. The acceptance rate of this university is quite high as compared to others with 31.8%.

UCSD is one of the leading public research universities situated in amazing La Jolla, California. Established in 1960, the university is also termed as the best university in the world.

Many publications have listed the biological science and computer science departments of this university as top 10 in the world. There are over 12 undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools. The acceptance rate is high with 34.3%.

Quick Facts:

• The university is built above two former military bases, Camp Matthews and Camp Callan.
• There are over 220,000 eucalyptus trees surrounding the campus.

Apart from the above-mentioned universities, these 80 universities have their own reputation and rankings. Some of them are well known such as Brown University, Boston University, and Pennsylvania State University, while some are less heard of. However, they have earned the status of the top 100 universities in the United States. The universities mentioned below have their distinct mode of admission and the acceptance rates vary from one another.

21. University of Washington

22. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

23. Brown University

24. Pennsylvania State University

25. Boston University

26. Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)

27. Purdue University

28. University of Wisconsin-Madison

29. University of Southern California

30. University of California, Davis (UCD)

31. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

32. Texas A&M University

33. Michigan State University

34. Rice University

35. Ohio State University

36. Washington University in St. Louis

37. The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)

38. University of Florida

39. University of Maryland, College Park

40. Arizona State University

41. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

42. Emory University

43. University of Pittsburgh

44. University of Rochester

45. Dartmouth College

46. University of Massachusetts, Amherst

47. Case Western Reserve University

48. University of Virginia

49. Vanderbilt University

50. University of Colorado at Boulder

51. University of California, Irvine (UCI)

52. North Carolina State University

53. University of Miami

54. University of Arizona

55. Georgetown University

56. Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick

57. Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech)

58. University of Notre Dame

59. Indiana University Bloomington

60. University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC)

61. University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC)

62. George Washington University

63. Yeshiva University

64. Northeastern University

65. Tufts University

66. University of Hawai'i at Manoa

67. Stony Brook University

68. Iowa State University

69. University of California, Riverside (UCR)

70. Colorado State University

71. University of Kansas

72. Washington State University

73. University of Utah

74. University of Connecticut

75. University of Tennessee, Knoxville

76. Florida State University

77. Colorado School of Mines

78. Illinois Institute of Technology

79. Missouri University of Science and Technology

80. University at Buffalo SUNY

81. University of Iowa

82. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

83. University of Delaware

84. Oregon State University

85. University of Georgia

86. University of Texas Dallas

87. City University of New York

88. Lehigh University

89. University of Nebraska - Lincoln

90. Florida International University

91. University of South Florida

92. University of South Carolina

93. University of Missouri, Columbia

94. University of Central Florida

95. Tulane University

96. Drexel University

97. Stevens Institute of Technology

98. University of New Mexico

99. New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT)

100. University of Houston